shanaqui's Beeminder Journal: 2023

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• 2023_readingsav - I’ve been struggling with reading the way I’d like to with a bunch of things going on that are sad and horrible, because 2023 isn’t letting up. So I derailed. I hope I can get back on track, but I’m honestly not sure if I can. I’m still on track with the “extreme” version, for now… I may end up archiving this goal.

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• N/a

Notes:

• Every time I think I’ve got everything sorted and there’s no more terrible stuff on my horizon, something else comes up! Alas. Anyway, just putting one foot in front of the other this week.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• A handful of goals got a break for my week off/my birthday. Variable amounts of time, depending on the goal. But mostly everything non-work is running as usual.

Notes:

• I’ve been trying to plan more breaks and just time where I’m generally not working, and next week is one of them! Yaaay.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• I’ve nudged the deadlines of a couple of goals out a bit with breaks, since time off made them less doable than I expected.

Notes:

• A very quiet week for me, and not much to say.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• I’m trying to get back to having the right amount of safety buffer on everything, after a couple of weeks where I needed to use it due to family bad news and such. I have a feeling I’m going to need it again soon (the bad news isn’t the sort that stops coming). So I’ve mostly been trying to overachieve and win back buffer, but this weekend is my deadline for just adding some safety buffer via a break. I’m going to hold out and do that on Sunday, though!

Notes:

• Mostly okay this week, getting caught up. And starting to feel tempted to have book-specific reading goals again… Hmmm.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• /toberead - I periodically start trying to track my to-be-read pile, and this is another attempt. It’s autodialled (the fastest it can require me to make progress is half a book a day on average), and the idea is to slowly reduce the number of unread books I have over time, and at least not acquire too many more!

Changes to existing goals:

• Nothing this week, I think, apart from the little bump of buffer I added to a couple of goals.

Notes:

• I think I might be anaemic again – so tired, and so many migraines. Plus, bad family news (expected, but still not enjoyable to receive). But I’m trucking along.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• /healthierchoice - I missed mentioning this last week, so this isn’t a new one as such. I had a meh day and I didn’t want to do anything for this goal, so I didn’t.

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• Nothing yet, but need to remember to dial in a break for a bunch of stuff for when I visit my grandmother.

Notes:

• Soon I should restart my goal for taking iron tablets, or maybe make a new one if I deleted it. We should have a new stock of 'em by this time next week, so I’ll set up the goal by then or you can all scold me.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• /ironandoj - I need to get back to taking iron supplements… and I should make sure to take them with a glass of orange juice, to help absorption, so says the doc. So here we go, a rate of 0.5/day, and I’ll have to start working it into my morning routine.
• /physio - Aaaand I’m restarting this one, requiring me to do my physio stretches on average twice a day. More times is better, so this is autodialled using Nathan’s autodial tool with a minimum rate of 2/day.

Changes to existing goals:

• /bibliophibianorbust - Of necessity, I’ve put a break in on my blog post goal, as there’s some kind of error with my site and my host isn’t sure when they can get it fixed.

Notes:

• Soon, I’ll be starting up the rest of my class-based goals for the year! Semester will start soon, but I’ve made a nice start thanks to /lshtm_bacterial.
• I need to remember to set breaks for my weekend trip to Wales in October, but there’s time left. Just writing it here to keep it in mind as the weeks slip by.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• /2023reading_sav - I’ve not felt like reading this week, and ended up letting this derail to give me some breathing space.

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• /weighingin - My morning routine is getting a bit complex (I need to do things in a certain order for taking my medication, supplements, etc), making it hard to ensure I do this every day. As a result, I ended up bumping it a day with a break pretty often. Given that’s the case, it makes more sense to change the rate to 0.9 per day, so I can slowly gain back safety buffer when it slips – while giving me the motivation to keep weighing in as often as I can.
• /bibliophibianorbust - My site still isn’t up, so another break…

Notes:

• Reminder to self, next week really think about adding that break for the end of October!

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• /lshtm_parasitology - This class will require one heck of a pace to complete the material in time for the assignment, so I’d better get started!
• /lshtm_nutrition - Slightly longer time-frame, but this one’s all set to go as well.

Existing goals:

• /tody - To reduce overwhelm, I’ve lowered the rate on this goal so that I can probably take weekends off from it. I’ve also actually overhauled my Tody list itself; we were super behind on stuff, other stuff wasn’t feasible, etc. So I removed all our tasks and started setting things up anew. We can add stuff when we stay on track for a couple weeks.
• /ynab - I’ve lowered the rate so I only need to reconcile a couple times a week. I just don’t purchase enough to need it to be constant.
• /gratitude - This is a goal I appreciate a lot, but which can end up feeling kind of perfunctory if it’s always nagging me for data. So I’ve lowered the rate for now to see how that feels.
• /postcrossingtasks - Dropped the rate a tiny bit to account better for days I can’t do everything.
• /writethosereviews - Another dropped rate in hopes of making weekends more chill.
• /dailyfocusfinder - Dropped the rate a bit to ensure I can just not do it on days where it isn’t useful.
• /bibliophibianorbust - My site still wasn’t back at the start of the week, so this needed a bit more time.
• I’ve added breaks to a handful of goals for my trip to see family at the end of October.

Notes:

• It’s been a weird week, but I feel like it’s been kind of productive all the same? I’ve done a lot of thinking about my goals and how to get there, at least!

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• /fastfood - Lisa’s not doing so great with a trapped nerve or something, so we’ve been relying on junk food a little too much… This was semi-non-legit, in that I don’t think there was any other option at the time in order to get food into us so we could take our respective medications. But it was legit in the sense that possibly some forward planning could’ve prevented it, knowing where we’re both at, so I elected to pay up.

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• /lshtm_time - I’ve now set this to my term-time rate of an hour a day. At the moment I’m exceeding that, but I hope I don’t have to keep up that pace. Yowza.

Notes:

• I think I might’ve set the pace too high for my /lshtm_parasitology goal. I’m struggling this week already to meet the pace. On the other hand, I don’t see how else I’m going to finish the course material in time for the first assignment… I may need to lower the pace on the other two modules in order to accommodate going all-out on this one. For now, I’ll see if I can keep up, though.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• /fastfood - Pretty much the same reasoning as last week, plus Lisa really really wanted some fastfood. They’re actually going to pay for this derailment for me, since I was holding firm that we should eat the meal we had planned instead. I’m not actually sure about this one, I’m not sure it’s a good idea, feels like maybe messing up my relationship with the goal; I’m going to cogitate on it for a bit. Anyway, normally derailing on this one gives me respite, but this time we’ve been eating waaay too much junk, so I immediately ratcheted a chunk of the leeway away.

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• N/a

Notes:

• Next week, I want to temporarily up the rate of /bibliophibianorbust – nearly a month of downtime means that I’m way behind on posting my reviews. I won’t do it yet because we’re not 100% everything’s back up and functioning. (Thank you, @adamwolf, for all your help on this!)
• I haven’t made a decision yet on the pace of my class goals. In some ways, I think this might be okay… I’ll give it another week at least before I decide, though. The problem is that it’s pretty variable: some sections take forever, and some sections are like “but I read about this for fun, this is easy!”

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• 2023reading_sav - I just couldn’t keep up… I’m back on track now, I think, and catching back up to where I “should” be. At least this “savage mode” (400 books in 2023) one is the only one I’m struggling on; I’m keeping up with the “extreme mode” (365 books in 2023), and have already completed the baseline one (300 books in 2023).

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• A couple more tweaks and breaks for my weekend visiting family.
• /bibliophibianorbust - breathesbooks.com liiiiives! So I’ve increased the rate on this goal to 1/day for a while, to help prompt me to post and get engagement back, and also catch up with my backlog of reviews!

Notes:

• Difficult family stuff (terminally ill family member) to handle this weekend, not to mention a 220-mile drive tonight and a 220-mile drive back on Monday, so I expect to try and have a quiet week next week. I haven’t added breaks for that, but I’ve been trying to keep plenty of buffer.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• /fastfood - Made this a touch harder and ratcheted it, because we’re really finding it waaaay too easy and comfortable to just change plans and get fastfood. It’s not great!

Notes:

• Nothing much for this week, but I need to keep in mind that we’re going away for a long weekend on the 23rd, and put some breaks in accordingly, soon!

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• /2023reading_sav - This is the stretchiest stretch goal for my reading in 2023, and… it’s too much for me right now. Maybe if my anaemia hadn’t recurred in a big way, I’d keep pushing for it. But it has, and I’m really tired. So I’ve set this to archive, and if it derails during this week I’ll pay the charge and archive. It makes me sad, and I don’t think the goal is impossible… but it’s unlikely. If I manage to keep it off the rocks for the whole week, I might cancel the archive. We’ll see.

Notes:

• Not much else to say; I’m struggling with the aforementioned anaemia, and also with just having free time between all the studying.
• I will note that my goal for writing to my grandmother has been much appreciated. She seems to remember the things I write in letters more than things people say to her, and she asked me to continue writing. I might ratchet my goal a bit to make it stricter about what day I write, and then my letters may also help her with her sense of the passage of time (say I write them on Mondays and she typically receives them on Wednesdays… if she gets a letter, it must’ve been another Wednesday). Hmmm.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• /2023reading_sav - So, to no one’s surprise, I’m really stubborn. This didn’t derail by the time it was due to archive… so I cancelled the archive and scheduled another. That gives me another week to see if I gain ground, where if I derail then I pay and the goal’s over. I’m very close to derailing tonight, though…
• /grandma - Ratcheted as I suggested I might last week.
• I’ve added breaks for my long weekend next week!

Notes:

• Looks like I goofed in creating my goal for my bacterial infections class, and didn’t plan it out the whole way. So by the time I next report, I want to sort that out.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• /2023reading_sav - Look, when I say I’m really stubborn, I mean it. I cancelled the archive again and restarted it, and I might stop trying to archive it if my long weekend helps me catch up…

Notes:

• Obviously this is a bit early because I’m off until Tuesday now, and not even taking my laptop. I forgot to sort out the bacterial infections graph, and still need to look something up, so that’s to do by next time.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• /2023_readingsprint - I’m determined to meet my “Savage” reading goal (400 books this year), now that I’ve kept it up so long despite really struggling. So this is a countdown goal just to help visualise the progress. It’s a rare goal of mine that’s locked at $0, because it’s basically the same as /2023reading_sav, and I don’t want to be in double jeopardy!

Changes to existing goals:

• /scarsheets - I’m archiving this because I think the scars have improved as much as they’re likely to, and I’m not sure the scar sheets are helping.
• /2023reading_sav - This did archive… and I brought it back and put it back at exactly the same rate. I’m gonna do this, darn it!

Notes:

• I can’t believe it’s almost the end of 2023 – I feel like I only just got used to saying 2023, and it’ll be 2024. Still, let’s not wish away the rest of this year! There’s still time to go.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• N/a

New goals:

• /yoghurts - I wrote about this at some length in the December Dry Run thread, but the short version is that I think I ought to eat more live culture yoghurt to help build a better microbiome (given I’ve had a cholecystectomy and I have acid reflux, and am on a fairly high dose of proton pump inhibitors – I need all the help I can get from beneficial bacteria to protect my GI tract, in other words). I’ve set the rate to 0.86/day, apparently, to allow me to slowly build some buffer in case of shopping goofs or upset stomach etc etc. December’s a test, to see whether I can keep up this rate.

Changes to existing goals:

• /clockoff - Had an end date at the end of 2023 for some reason? Bumped it onward a year.

Notes:

• I will almost certainly derail /2023_readingsprint tonight, ugh. I need to do plenty of reading this weekend to get a little bit of breathing room for myself…

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• /physio - I didn’t waaaant to.

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• /lshtm_parasitology - As we say to the bunnies after we’ve done something mean but necessary like clipping their claws: “All done, good bunny!” In other words, I’ve finished the course material for parasitology, and I’ve even handed in the first part of my assignment too.

Notes:

• I am really proud of my recent progress on /toberead – look at that thing! And it’s not just new shiny books that I’ve been reading. I really need to keep it up, though, because my wife tells me I have more books coming to me for Christmas than I currently have buffer on this goal. I’m stubborn and determined not to add a jump in the graph (breaks are okay, but not jumps up), so… more reading it is! (Oh no, such a terrible fate.)
• I didn’t derail /2023_readingsprint, and I’m even starting to gain a tiny bit of buffer. Look at me goooo.

[shanaqui]

Derailments:

• /yoghurts - I’m struggling with this goal already and not really wanting to do it, even though it’s easy. In part that’s because I haven’t found a good time of day to include it in my routine, I think – I should give more thought to that.
• /physio - I didn’t want to, again, and wanted to get a bit of buffer. Of course, I promptly used it up… and I’ve lost some mobility in my leg through neglecting it. Sigh. I will get back on this horse… bee… thing.
• /lshtm_nutrition - All my focus last week went to getting my parasitology assignment done, so I decided to let this one derail. I’ve got back to it and caught up this week!

New goals:

• N/a

Changes to existing goals:

• N/a

Notes:

• Nearly time for Christmas! Looking forward to the time with my family. I wish anyone else who celebrates a nice, warm, satisfying day in whatever way works for you.